Kingdom Come

Chapter Eleven:

Alice stood in the dark, she couldn't help but remember that she almost drowned when she was two years old. Someone had left the gate open at the public pools on a family outing, and being two years old and curious....she walked in.

Ever since that day, Alice secretly hated pools or large bodies of water. Yolande called it Aquaphobia

She boldly refused swimming events, often calling in sick that day or finding creative excuses to avoid the water.

No one questions the good girl.

Showers were the only comfort she found....baths just reminded her of the darkness, the tightness in her lungs - and right this second, those feelings were coming back.

She screamed in the pitch black, the echo travelling.

Then in a snap of light - "Alice" the voice called to her; soft but feminine, as if it were carried by a gentle breeze.

Was she dreaming? Alice thought as she now stood on a beach, staring at the sun. Her eyes adjusting to the surroundings. She could feel the heat on her skin, the warmth around her.

She knew she must have been dreaming because standing in front of her.

Elizabeth.

She looked healthy, with long brown hair and bright eyes. Wearing all white, barefoot in the sand - No sign of cancer.

The beach was paradise, rich white sand and sapphire blue water for miles. Palm trees swayed in the gentle breeze, and the sun bathed everything in a golden glow.

"Mom?" Alice whispered, stepping closer

Elizabeth smiled bright, saying nothing. Standing motionless, but proud.

"Mom?" Alice repeated again.

Nothing.

"Mom?" Alice spoke again, this time inches away from her mother's face.

Elizabeth finally spoke, her eyes focused. One sentence is all Alice needed

"Alison come with me. We can go home, babe. We can be a family."

Alice was close to grabbing her mother's hand, so close to feeling her touch.

They could be a family.

What had the old world offered her anyway?

Then she felt a pulse of electricity through her, like Clayton had hooked her up to his truck's battery and turned it on. Like it was him, reminding her there will always be a reason to live.

The pulse hit her again, forcing her back a few feet away as Elizabeth stared.

Ow.

Everything went dark, the vision of her smiling mother slipping from Alice as she was falling back into the darkness, screaming.

"Alison. Miss Clarke. Can you hear me?"

Someone was speaking to her. She could hear more than one person. She sensed she was surrounded by a lot of people, maybe at the hospital, all Alice smelt was chemicals and blood.